Chapter 121
We Miscalculated His Position
The applause faded, but the room did not relax.
The sound died away, yet something remained, tight and buzzing, like air before a storm. People stopped clapping but didn't move on. They hovered. Watched. Whispered without sound.
The guests were no longer wandering aimlessly. They had begun to gather, slowly, instinctively, pulled by invisible lines.
Two centers formed.
One gathered around Grandmother Halton. That side of the room was quieter. Voices were lowered. Movements careful. People stood straighter there, as if aware they were being measured even when she wasn't looking.
The other side was louder. Drawn to the opened chests. To silk folded too neatly to touch. To jewels catching the light, bright enough to distract, heavy enough to silence doubt.
Proof.
I stood between them.
The bracelet on my wrist felt colder now. Heavier. Not painful, just present. Impossible to forget.
I was the connection between those two forces.
